The Senate just approved Sen. Carroll Leavell’s amendment to the health care expansion bill. The amendment makes a major change to the legislation. Now under the amended  legislation insurance companies can pay the 4.3 percent premium tax out of the 85 percent of premiums that were required to go to direct services in the original version. With the original legislation, the insurance companies would have had to pay the premium tax out of what was left over after te 85 percent of premiums was spent on direct services.

According to the state Human Services Department, $58 million will allow the department to provide health coverage for 56,498 children in Medicaid or the department’s Premium Assistance for Kids Program.